The Road to Glory

Chapter 68

"What my father could accomplish, I too..."

His figure was tall and slender. Even though he had returned in the rain with his hair completely soaked, it did nothing to diminish his handsomeness and sharpness. However, he seemed to have deliberately restrained his aura, standing exceptionally quiet and silent among the crowd of martial generals. Before Fan Yuan mentioned him, few in the room had even noticed his presence.

Now facing the gazes of everyone, he stepped forward and clasped his fists: "It was only through the desperate bloody battles of all our comrades that the south city gate was breached. This humble general dare not claim credit alone."

Seeing him so modest, many strategists stroked their beards and nodded, their eyes showing even greater appreciation.

Wen Yu sat above, watching the person who very properly lowered his gaze to avoid meeting her eyes. She felt that all his arrogance and sharpness seemed to have been withdrawn, now replaced with more restraint.

It seemed that during his training in the army these days, he had truly matured.

This was what Wen Yu had always hoped for, but now that he had truly achieved it, she felt as if something was missing from him.

She thought for a long moment before realizing it was probably the robust, warm, and dry scent about him, as if he had been basking in the sun for a long time.

When she had stayed with the Xiao family in Yong City, although she had been somewhat afraid of him, every time she saw him—even when he returned from wind and snow—it gave her the illusion that he had just come back from under the sun.

Seeing that Wen Yu had remained silent for a while, Li Xun spoke up: "Commandant Xiao is being too modest. In this battle, all soldiers naturally have merit, but Commandant Xiao's contributions are particularly great. The Lady should reward him heavily."

Wen Yu collected her thoughts and nodded: "Naturally. This great victory is due to the hard-won achievements of all generals. All should be heavily rewarded."

Upon hearing about rewards, the martial generals couldn't conceal their joy.

After Wen Yu distributed rewards according to merit, she took advantage of having both strategists and martial generals present to discuss matters regarding the future governance of Tao Commandery and the continued recruitment and expansion of the army.

Pei Song and Wei Qishan had been locked in fierce battle north of the Wei River for a long time. It was only after Wei Qishan's son lost several cities in succession that Pei Song gained a slightly superior position.

Pingzhou's successful annexation of Tao Commandery at this time was naturally a great cause for celebration, and a victory banquet was essential. However, with Southern Chen envoys soon to arrive and Chen Wei still remaining in Tao Commandery to handle aftermath matters, after discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to postpone the victory banquet and combine it with the welcome banquet for the Southern Chen envoys.

This would celebrate both the alliance and serve as an opportunity to diminish Southern Chen's prestige, facilitating subsequent negotiations.

After the meeting concluded, Wen Yu allowed the martial generals to return and rest first, keeping only a few strategists to discuss state affairs later.

Zhao Bai took advantage of this interval to bring in a cloth soaked in medicinal solution for Wen Yu to apply to her eyes.

The strategists, having talked all morning, were somewhat tired and thirsty, so they went together to the side hall's tea room for some tea and snacks.

Xiao Li walked at the very back, able to smell the medicinal scent from the cloth in Zhao Bai's hands even from a distance.

He glanced back inconspicuously and saw Zhao Bai supporting Wen Yu as they went into the inner chamber. The cloth seemed to be for Wen Yu's use.

His footsteps unconsciously paused slightly. Only after a fellow martial general called out to him did he withdraw his gaze and ask: "Is the Lady ill?"

The martial generals naturally didn't know. A strategist who often attended meetings with Wen Yu, seeing that Xiao Li had distinguished himself in the Tao Commandery battle and was originally from Wen Yu's personal guards, wanted to build rapport with him and answered: "The Lady, in order to quickly take charge of Pingzhou's affairs regardless of their importance, has been reading day and night without letting books leave her hands, injuring her eyes. Recently, she has been constantly applying medicine and cannot read official documents. Miss Zhao Bai has been reading them aloud to her."Xiao Li listened in silence, his lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

In the inner chamber of the council hall, Wen Yu sat in the master's chair, leaning back with her head slightly tilted. A cloth covered her eyes as she instructed Zhao Bai, "For those officials from Tao County who were brought back under escort, have Lord Li Xun go tomorrow to persuade and admonish them first."

Zhao Bai said, "According to General Fan, the magistrate of Tao County is quite stubborn. What if he would rather die than submit to us?"

Wen Yu replied, "Even if he would rather die than submit, spare his life and place him under house arrest. We have taken Tao County, and there will be Li County, Wu County, and others to follow. For over a decade, the Liang Dynasty was controlled by maternal relatives, and many officials were exiled due to factional strife, leaving them resentful toward the court. What I aim to accomplish is the great undertaking my father and brother left unfinished—to rescue Liang from its decay. Though it may seem as difficult as rebuilding a tower from scratch."

The warm compress had cooled. Wen Yu reached up to remove the cloth, the skin around her eyes slightly reddened from the steam, yet her gaze remained calm and resolute. "But I will build a Liang better than before. The Grand Tutor once taught my brother that only the benevolent can win hearts. What Liang owed those officials and the people in the past, I must repay. Pei Song makes the world fear him; I will make the world submit to me."

Zhao Bai rewet the cloth and prepared to hand it to Wen Yu. Hearing her words, he paused for a moment before saying, "My lady, you are actually more like the prince than the crown prince was."

Remembering her late father and brother, a faint sorrow tinged Wen Yu's eyes. "My brother took after our mother. Before Father was chosen as heir apparent, he preferred tending to the flowers and plants in his courtyard. When he sought to marry my sister-in-law, other aristocratic young masters sent gifts of pearls, hairpins, brocades, or jade. But my brother waited outside the Jiang residence with an orchid he had nurtured for years, standing there all morning. When he finally saw her, he was too flustered to speak. He recited 'The Reed' to her, set down the orchid, and ran off. Even after Jun'er and A Yin were born, my sister-in-law still teased him about it..."

Wen Yu seemed about to smile but found she couldn't.

Her eyes brimmed with grief, yet she could not cry.

It was as if her tears had dried up in the heavy snow of Yong City.

She closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself. When she opened them again, she said only, "Summon Lord Li Xun and the others."

The second round of discussions dealt with trivial yet necessary matters that required clear resolutions. After everything was decided, Li Xun, before leaving, suddenly said, "My lady, you have been keeping Li Yao and his followers at a distance for some time. Since you intend to employ those from Tao County, what are your plans for Li Yao and his group?"

Wen Yu seemed to ponder for a moment before replying, "It is indeed time to see them."

Most of the strategists who had come to seek refuge lived in the first two courtyards.

Li Yao, having repeatedly offended Wen Yu, found himself sidelined. Many of the strategists who had once followed him had quietly distanced themselves.

Wen Yu's numerous achievements, relayed by other strategists, reached the small courtyard. Those still aligned with Li Yao felt increasingly embarrassed.

They had urged Li Yao to apologize to Wen Yu, but his temper was stubborn and harsh. He would either snort coldly and ignore them or berate the speaker mercilessly. Gradually, no one dared bring it up again.Wen Yu, accompanied by Zhao Bai and Li Xun, stepped into the side courtyard where Li Yao, dressed in coarse cloth with sparse, graying hair, resembled an old farmer. Holding a gourd dipper, he watered melon seedlings in a cleared patch of wasteland, humming a tune with an air of complete contentment.

Li Xun coughed lightly and said, "Lord Li, the Princess has arrived."

Li Yao had once held the position of Zhongshu Ling. Though he had resigned in indignation and retired to seclusion after the imperial authority weakened and maternal relatives monopolized power, most subordinates still addressed him by his former official title.

Upon hearing this, Li Yao merely glanced toward the courtyard gate before continuing to tend his melon seedlings.

Zhao Bai frowned at the sight.

Seeing Li Yao remain so discourteous, Li Xun’s heart sank.

Though he hadn’t been by Wen Yu’s side for long, Li Xun had largely grasped her temperament. Compared to the heir’s gentleness, their Princess possessed a sterner disposition.

Previously, when Li Yao had been arrogant and rude, despite the dire circumstances and her need for personnel, she had cold-shouldered him, refusing to reinstate him.

Now that Li Yao remained unchanged, Li Xun feared Wen Yu might truly give up on recruiting him.

Anxious to break the impasse, Li Xun forced a dry laugh and said, "My lord has refined tastes, planting sponge gourds in the courtyard."

Li Yao’s graying hair was tied into a small bun with a wooden hairpin, his wrinkled skin taut against his skull. He snorted coldly, "To each according to his labor, so as not to be accused of eating idle bread! These old bones of mine can still manage to grow some beans and melons for my own sustenance!"

Li Xun hadn’t expected this old stubbornness to be so blunt. Even though Wen Yu had cold-shouldered him, she had never withheld food or provisions. His words made it seem as if Wen Yu were utterly intolerant. Li Xun’s forced smile began to falter as he glanced back at Wen Yu, afraid she might leave in anger.

Instead, he saw Wen Yu step forward calmly, even handing Li Yao a piece of dried grass as he tied melon vines to bamboo poles.

Li Yao ignored the grass she offered, fetching another strand himself to continue securing the vines.

Wen Yu used the dried grass to bind the upper part of the vine to the bamboo pole and said, "During busy farming seasons in the past, my father often took us to Fengyang’s fields to transplant rice shoots and sow beans. I remember every farmhouse had walls covered with melon vines."

Li Yao scrutinized Wen Yu, his tone still barbed, "The Princess has cleverly taken Tao County and driven a wedge between Xinzhou and Yizhou. The entire estate sings your praises. Why condescend to visit this old man now?"

Wen Yu replied, "Yu has come to ask the Master to plan affairs for her."

Li Yao sneered, "Have you come specifically to mock me?"

Wen Yu lifted her eyes calmly, "The Master once assisted Yu’s father. Out of gratitude for that past kindness, Yu would never disrespect you. How could mocking be inferred?"

Li Yao stared coldly at Wen Yu, "If you’re unwilling to fully heed my counsel in the great task of restoring Liang, so be it. I once served as Zhongshu Ling—even if I never regain favor, I’ve not fallen so low as to be ordered about by a mere girl still wet behind the ears. It’s only out of regard for your father’s repeated personal visits begging me to emerge from retirement that I remain in Pingzhou, willing to lend a hand in times of crisis."

Wen Yu asked, "If it were my elder brother here today, would the Master be willing to strategize for the Wen family again?"Li Yao scooped water with a gourd ladle to irrigate the melon field, snorting disdainfully at the words: "Your elder brother? A mild-tempered and overly soft-hearted man, unworthy of my regard! Back then, your father first invited me to take your elder brother as my student, but I refused. Only then did your father turn to Yu Zijing to teach him."

Yu Zijing was the given name of Yu Taifu.

He cast a sidelong glance at Wen Yu, his aged and sunken eyes still reflecting the lofty pride of his youth: "Even the position of Imperial Tutor, I am worthy of!"

"My only regret is that the Shaojing Emperor, raised since childhood under the Empress Dowager's care, was bedridden by illness and weak in character, devoid of any imperial aura! I could not accept it! Later, I took notice of your father and followed him out of seclusion, entrusting all my lifelong ambitions to him. How could I have foreseen... the whims of fate!"

As he spoke, his voice grew increasingly vehement, and he clenched the gourd ladle in his hand with sorrow before finally lowering his head again to scoop water from the bucket and pour it over the melon sprouts.

Wen Yu said, "What my father accomplished, I can accomplish as well. Would you be willing to strategize for me, Sir?"

Author's Note: I'm so eager to write the Southern Chen arc that I rushed the tail end of the previous chapter a bit. However, certain details needed to be addressed first, so I've revised it. Feel free to glance at the end of the previous chapter before reading this one!

Also! Happy Lunar New Year's Eve, dear readers~ Leave a comment to check in, and I'll send out small red envelopes for everyone to celebrate the New Year's Eve together!